Pittsburgh Steelers Antonio Brown Lashes Out At Ryan Clark

Nov 28, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice (27) runs over Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark (25) during a NFL football game on Thanksgiving at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Pittsburgh Steelers Antonio Brown is becoming a leader on this squad.  And, he’s not afraid to start using his mouth to show that there will be a cultural shift in the Steelers locker room starting this season.  In an article from Tribune-Review Alan Robinson, Brown talk about the nature of the Steelers locker room and how the chemistry there helped the Steelers put up two 8-8 seasons.

Brown specifically called out former teammate Ryan Clark.  He didn’t take too kindly to Clark’s somewhat recent comments about marijuana usage in the NFL and that there were Steelers that use(d) the substance during the season.  Clark said those remarks while still a free agent hoping to sign back with the Steelers but ‘auditioning’ his analytic ‘abilities’ on ESPN.  He later signed with the Redskins.  Maybe he knew the writing was on the wall and felt at liberty to say those things.

"“When you see things like that, it shows you how guys feel when they’re not part of the team anymore.  It’s a form of bitterness or taking a shot at the team because you’re not there anymore… When you see people taking shots who were on the same team and wearing the same jerseys, that’s a sign of not having that team camaraderie. That’s something we need to get back, something we haven’t had for the past two years… [Clark’s] getting into his career as a reporter and trying to get those things in the works…”"

Well it’s no secret around here in Steeler Nation.  Ryan Clark thinks more about himself than anything else – even when it means throwing his own teammates under the bus.  Brown is right to criticize his former teammate.  It’s the freshest example he has to prove that the locker room needs to shift the compass a bit and get this team back on track – both with team chemistry and in the win column.

I strongly doubt Clark will handle the situation in a mature way.  We’ll see.